Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday

Wisdom Wednesday is where I will share a piece of wisdom, usually in the form of a quote, and then talk about why I find it valuable.

This week’s quote is from Amelia Earhart and goes like this:

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”

This might not be as deep and profound as you might expect for the launch of Wisdom Wednesday. I think that something is only as deep as you go into it. Some quotes might be so overtly deep that you can fall into it but others require digging. This one is the latter. So, get your shovel, your flashlight, and a sturdy pair of shoes and join me while I try to excavate the wisdom that I have experienced from this quote.

Currently, this quote rings loudly in my psyche because I recently started living it. You are reading one of the manifestations of this quote in my life right now. I have lived through analysis paralysis for many years. I can’t quite say exactly why this plagued me for so long but my initial conclusion is that I was just too focused on myself, too afraid of being rejected. So here I am today running Generational Leadership, seeking to add value to others. I am discovering that the very things that I thought disqualified me from having an opinion that matters are the things that brought me to the knowledge and understanding that make my value proposition possible.

I’m doing it and guess what? It’s far more effective than thinking about doing it. It’s far more effective than sitting there paralyzed, wishing I could do it. It’s also far more fulfilling.

For me, one of the most important things about this quote is the distinct absence of any qualifier words. For example, “The most effective way to do it, is to do it perfectly.” or well, or right, or better, or first, or bigger, etc. I think that people unconsciously add qualifier words to things and in so doing, set themselves up for disappointment. I know I have. How many of us have tried something new, didn’t execute flawlessly and then quit. A diet is the easiest example. The lack of the qualifier gives me the freedom to keep trying even when I don’t do it perfectly, well, right, better, etc. The important thing is that I’m doing it and that I keep doing it. The adjectives will come with time and practice. No world record holder in history came out of the womb with the ability to set and hold their record. Not one of them hit without practicing the skill for thousands of hours. Not a single one.

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” And keep doing it. Seriously. KEEP. DOING. IT.

I’ll leave you with the similarly wise words of a little blue fish that forgot her way right into the hearts of millions of people. “Just keep swimming.”